Teachers are tapping into technology and digital media for learning. Watch How Google Saved a School and discuss the hype and the hopes for improving education through technology.

More and more educators are tapping into the power of digital media and technology for teaching and learning. The variety of information resources available online is simply staggering. Explore how teachers and students are using the power of social media to promote students' active engagement, critical thinking and literacy skills.

New Forms of Learning. It doesn't need to happen in school. Because it's visual, interactive and social, learning can happen anywhere with digital media as people collaborate and share about a wide range of topics and issues that matter to them.

Hope, Hype and Reality. Are today's learners really different from previous generations? Compelling images of students using digital technology are impressive, but the research evidence on the impact of technology on learning is more mixed. And it's sometimes hard to separate the scholarship from the marketing hype, given the deep investment of technology companies in promoting the idea of technology's transformative potential.

Online Resources for Teachers include:WATCH: Check out the featured videos and activities that explore learning in the digital age. PLAY: Take the "Old School, New School" quiz. RATE: Use Where Do You Stand? Rate your level of agreement with opinions about teaching and learning in K-12 schools today.READ: Learn more through informative one-page readings.COMMENT: What do you think? How do you use technology effectively in your school?

Learning Objectives:

In this workshop, educators will:

Understand why digital media and technology may (or may not) transform the process of teaching and learning

Clarify and reflect on attitudes about the role of digital media in education

Learn about specific instructional practices for integrating digital media and technology in the K-12 classroom

Consider the quality of various information sources on issues related to the use of digital media in schools

Where Do You Stand? Technology in our Schools

How Google Saved a School looks at how the introduction of laptops at I.S. 339 helped make a significant change in the culture of learning for both students and teachers.

After watching the video, rate your level of agreement with these statements. Click to see how others responded. Share your opinions by posting a comment.

Today, access to digital technology is as essential as oxygen.

It is the teachers, not the technology, that make school improvement possible.

For teens, laptops in school are just another technology toy.

Technology can transform failing schools.

It's not feasible for schools to constantly monitor kids' use of online technologies.

Most teachers can make effective use of laptops and new technologies for learning.

The use of monitoring software on school laptops is an unethical type of spying.

QUIZ Are You Old School or New School?

Learning Objective: Understand your beliefs about the use of technology in education. Are you old school or new school? Are you an enthusiastic supporter of technology in education, or a bit more skeptical?

Procedure: Read each pair of statements below and choose the one that best reflects your view.

Pair 1 When responding to readings used in classrooms, students should demonstrate their individual effort by providing answers to questions out loud.
When readings are used in classroom, students should work together to interpret and create meaning.

Pair 2 To achieve success in life, there is particular knowledge about math, science, history and literature that students need to learn before they graduate from high school.
What matters most for success in education today is the ability to develop effective strategies for learning any subject area.

Pair 3 Standardized tests help determine what students are actually learning.
Standardized tests are a tool used to sort and track students by ability.

Pair 4 In underachieving schools, money spent on technology would be better spent on meeting more basic needs like providing books, music and art programs for kids.
The use of technology in underachieving schools can make a dramatic difference in reducing dropout rates and promoting academic achievement.

Pair 5 It is not clear to me whether the business community is spending so much money promoting the role of technology in education to sell their products or to try to improve education.
The business community is frustrated that graduates aren't technologically competent enough to be effective in the workplace.

Pair 6 The Internet is not that valuable for students who have not mastered the basic reading skills of decoding and comprehension -- and those are the skills our students are struggling with.
Knowing how to interpret the relationship between textual and audiovisual media, navigate hypertextual material and effectively use online reference tools are all valuable reading skills for the 21st century.

Based on your responses, you are:

"New School"
You're enthusiastic about digital technology as a tool for transforming education, and you support collaborative, student-centered approaches to teaching and learning.

"Hopeful"
You recognize that technology can engage students in learning and help educators transmit the knowledge and skills students need for a well-rounded education.

"Skeptic"
You believe that the quality of instruction is what matters most. It's the teacher and teaching strategy, not the technology, that makes the difference.

"Old School"
You're not convinced that technology is the answer to the challenges educators face today. You see the future of education as continuing in the tradition established by previous generations.

Learn More. Read Old School, New School to reflect on how these four perspectives reflect different values about the benefits and drawbacks of using technology for teaching and learning.

Old School, New School: Educational Perspectives on Digital Media and Technology

Which perspective best reflects your views about digital media and education?

New School. You're enthusiastic about digital technology as a tool for transforming education, and you support collaborative, student-centered approaches to learning.

Hopeful. You know that technology can engage students in learning and help teachers transmit the knowledge and skills students need for a well-rounded education.

Old School. You're not convinced that technology is the answer to the challenges educators face today. You see the future of education as continuing in the tradition that has been established by previous generations.

Skeptic. The quality of instruction is what matters most. Student-centered approaches really make a difference in improving learning. Technology isn't really the solution here.

Key to Reading the Chart
Let's call the x-axis your level of engagement with digital technology. Perhaps you're not crazy about staring at a screen all day (west), or you share your technology insights every day on your blog (east).

Digital Media Index: Test Your Knowledge About Technology Use in the Classroom

Learning Objective: Find out what you know about the use of technology in the classroom.

Procedure: Watch "Friending Boo Radley," take a quiz about the use of technology in the classroom, and give your opinions on obstacles teachers face in using technology in the classroom.

This video features Jennifer Johns, a middle school English teacher who uses social media in creative ways to promote students' exploration of literature. Is Jennifer Johns a typical teacher or an exception to the rule?

How much do you know about how teachers and students actually use technology in K-12 education? Make an educated guess about the number that best fits in the boxes below.

Percentage of American teachers who believe that improper use of the Internet had caused a decline in student work50%Though teachers may be enthusiastic about the promise of technology to improve learning, they may have mixed feelings about students readiness to use technology appropriately. NEA, Access, Adequacy, and Equity in Education Technology, 2008

Percentage of American teachers who believe that students are becoming too reliant on technology39%Ninety-five percent of teachers believe that technology, when used properly, can improve learning. NEA, Access, Adequacy, and Equity in Education Technology, 2008

Percentage of U.S. classrooms that have high-speed Internet access for student use54%76.5% of classrooms have high-speed Internet for teacher use. U.S. Department of Education, National Educational Technology Trends, 2008

Percentage of U.S. classrooms that have one computer for each student 4.2%More than half of public school educators (71.2%) reported having one computer for each student available in computer/media center or other commonly used areas. National Educational Technology Trends Study: Local-Level Data Summary 2008

Cheerleaders for Technology in Education

If you're a teacher, you'd almost have to live in a cave to miss the many messages about the wonders of digital technology for teaching and learning.

But critical thinkers always ask the question, "Who's the author, and what's the purpose of this message? Can you separate the reality from the hype?" Consider some of the many resources available to educators today:

Edutopia is a publication of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, the magazine and Web site designed to spread the word about ideal learning environments and cutting-edge uses of technology in education.

Threshold Magazine is a journal for district, state and national education leaders, sponsored by the cable television industry through the nonprofit organization Cable in the Classroom. Launched in 2003, it features nationally recognized experts offering provocative ideas, opinions and research at the intersection of education and technology.

Before you visit the Tech & Learning Web site, you must fill out a detailed questionnaire so that you can be added to the company's database. The publication sells advertising based on how many readers influence the hardware- and software-buying decisions in their school districts.

Why are so many different organizations promoting the use of digital media and technology for learning? Some perspectives include:

It's the best way for students to learn

It's essential for the workers of the future to have technology skills

Digital technology motivates and engages learners

The elementary and secondary education sector is a huge potential market for digital media and technology products and services

There are a lot of cheerleaders for educational technology. And while we shouldn't be dismayed or surprised to see that commercial interests are involved, when evaluating the quality of information about technology in education, it's important to recognize that business interests are deeply invested in promoting technology tools for learning -- and that these interests will shape the messages we receive.

Are Computers Used in Innovative Ways?

Teens are doing more writing than ever before -- mostly because they are socializing online. A recent study by Andrea Lunsford of Stanford University shows that 38 percent of students' writing takes place outside the classroom. As Clive Thompson put it in an article in Wired, "Before the Internet came along, most Americans never wrote anything, ever, that wasn't a school assignment."

But what are children and teens doing when it comes to using computers when they're in school?

The best evidence we have about the actual use of technology in education comes from a survey of teachers conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. More than 4,900 teachers from a nationally representative sample were asked about their use of digital media for teaching and learning. Classroom teachers who were teaching core subject areas during the 2004-2005 school year participated in the study.

The data suggest that teachers do not generally use digital media for the purposes recommended by experts and advocates. Experts stress how digital media can promote students' collaboration, self-expression and problem-solving skills. Instead, digital technology is used in much more mundane, modest and teacher-centered ways; for example, for personal research and lesson planning. Here's how teachers used digital technology on a monthly basis:

Thirty percent of teachers used technology to create tests or quizzes.

Twenty-four percent of teachers developed curricula or assignments in math or reading.

Twenty-seven percent of teachers used it for research in planning a lesson.

Eight percent used technology to maintain Web pages for their classes.

Here's how their students used digital technology on a monthly basis:

Forty percent used computers for practice on math or reading.

Thirty-seven percent used word processing at least once or twice a month.

Twenty-nine percent used the Internet for research.

Ten percent used PowerPoint to make slides.

Five percent used digital photography or video equipment.

One percent created Web pages.

What would be needed to help teachers make more active, student-centered use of digital media?

Digital Media and Learning

Marc Prensky says that kids can actually learn more about a topic of interest to them when they are on their own and outside of school and that most schools are just a formal credential. Access to the Internet gives students more opportunities to learn about subjects that really matter to them.

Poll: Do young people learn more from following their personal interests exploring the Internet than they do in school?

Yes When kids are passionate about a topic, they gain access to information and resources and teach themselves.No Formal learning environments and schools offer professional guidance through a full range of knowledge and skills that most students need in order to comprehend complex topics and problems.

Todd Oppenheimer says that it's important that the classroom be a place where people can have sustained conversations with others. A focus on digital media in the classroom will intensify the shortening of students' attention spans.

Poll: Should school be a place where students can engage with people, ideas and information, without all the pressure to use the latest technology gadgets?

Yes There's undeniable value to a technology-free zone for children and teens.No Technology is an important part of learning, and students need it in school and in life.

James Paul Gee talks about blocking or limiting access to the Internet and how software can be used to maximize learning.

Poll: Should schools block access to certain Web sites?

Yes because if schools don't block access, students will waste valuable learning time by going to popular sites like Facebook.No because blocking sites limits what students can discover from the Internet, and it prevents them from learning how to self-monitor the sites they go to.

Consider This: Twenty-one states have Internet-filtering laws that apply to public schools or libraries, requiring them to prevent minors from gaining access to sexually explicit, obscene or harmful materials.

In 2000, Congress enacted the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which offers e-rate technology discounts to schools on the condition that they use Internet filters. The law, which was upheld by a Supreme Court decision in 2003, allows communities to set their own standards for what content is (and is not) filtered.

Partnership for 21st Century Learning MILE Guide
Get a deeper understanding of the many kinds of changes that schools need to bring technology into the K-12 curriculum, including issues related to leadership, policy and organizational systems.

Edutopia
The George Lucas Educational Foundation sponsors this comprehensive "Digital Generation" Web site that features youth perspectives and innovative ways to use technology in the classroom.

Activities for Students: Life Online
This activity will help students recognize and address issues that might arise from their use of digital media and the ability to communicate so quickly and easily with so many people.